All Grown Up
by kmj1989
Summary: Family isn't always who we're born with: sometimes, we get to chose them. As Dr. Emily Coulson finds out, sometimes, that's the best kind. And sometimes, you have to save them first. Sequel to Daddy's Little Girl, starting at the beginning of CA:TWS.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I only own Emily and the little bits I didn't borrow from Marvel.**

Chapter 1

The sound of small children singing broke through my sleepy haze. Grabbing my phone blindly, which may or may not have taken a few tries, I swiped to answer the call. "Do you have any idea how creepy it is to wake up to the sound of kids singing 'Itsy Bitsy Spider'?" I asked Natasha.

"It's not my fault Tony assigned us all ringtones, and even you can't figure out how to change them," my big sister retorted. "And besides, why were you sleeping? It's the middle of the afternoon."

"I'm attempting to recover from the flu," I told her, then sniffed. "Bruce brought me back a present from India."

"So, in other words, you've been huddled on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, drinking hot cocoa and watching Harry Potter movies for the past few days," she guessed astutely.

"There may have been some Disney in there," I sighed, taking a sip of the mentioned beverage. "Gah, that's cold," I moaned.

"I have another pot heating for you, Miss Emily," JARVIS's crisp British voice floated from the ceiling. "DUMM-E will be bringing it to you as soon as it is ready."

"Can I marry you, JARVIS?" I moaned. "You seriously are the best."

"I'm not sure Sir would approve," was his response.

"Tony would be ecstatic," Tasha corrected. "Man, I miss having JARVIS at my disposal."

"That's what happens when you move out of the Tower," I reminded, feeling a little petty. After all, my big sister and best friend had moved out in the same week.

"We'll be back in a couple of weeks, kotenok," she said, and I could just see the smirk on her face. "It's just a temporary assignment."

"How am I supposed to be the Avengers' doctor when half of the Avengers aren't even here? Did Fury think about that?" I grumbled. Of course, the Director was a touchy subject for me, even before he'd assigned Tasha and Steve to work at the Triskelion for six months.

"I don't remember you complaining like this when Tony was back in Malibu," Tasha reminded. "Or when Bruce went back to India for a few months. Or when Thor was back in Asgard."

"How was I supposed to complain that the god of thunder went back home? And it's not like I can really do much for him. He heals too quickly for me to even be able to do anything. And Bruce brought me the plague back from India, so he's not going back anytime soon," I stated emphatically. "I won't let him."

"Uh huh, I want to see you stop the Hulk from doing something he wants."

"Bruce loves me. He wouldn't Hulk out on me."

"Speaking of love, I keep trying to set Steve up with girls, but he always says he's too busy. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" she asked, trying to be sly.

Unfortunately, I knew her too well. "What are you getting at, Tasha?"

"Well, I think it's because he's actually in love with you," the superspy said bluntly.

I spluttered on my new hot cocoa. After I was done choking, I managed to gasp out, "Did you hit your head on your last mission? I think you need to come back to New York so I can do a CT scan."

"Of course not," she dismissed. "But think about it. He's always there for you. I mean, the man has your favorite kind of hot cocoa in his kitchen in D.C., just in case you happen to visit. And he doesn't even drink it! And after… After the Battle of New York, he took you in like a stray kitty. He didn't let other people see you for days."

"He was just being a good friend," I protested. "Steve is not in love with me."

"Just like you're not in love with him, right?"

"Exactly," I said, ignoring her sarcasm. "We are best friends, nothing more."

"That's sounding rather familiar to me. Why does it sound familiar? Oh yeah, that sounds just like my protests, before I got together with the man I married."

"Just because you and Clint were like that doesn't mean that Steve and I are."

"You so are!" she argued. "When you're together, it's like the rest of the world doesn't exist. You cuddle on the couch together. Half of his clothes are in your closet. Deny it all you want, but you're in love with him, Sweetie."

"Whatever you say," I said tiredly, just to get the crazy Russian off my back.

"So, how's Carter?" Tasha asked next, throwing me completely.

"Well, other than the fact that I broke up with him three weeks ago, I'm sure he's great," I laughed.

"You broke up with him? Zamechatel'nyy! Oh, that's fantastic! But why didn't you tell me?" she demanded.

"You've been a little busy lately," I reminded. "And what do you mean, wonderful? I knew you didn't really like him, but I didn't think you'd be this ecstatic at the news."

"Kotenok, he was a jerk. When he was around, you weren't you. You let him make all the decisions, never doing what you wanted. It was always what he wanted. And I just had a feeling about him, something off," Tasha told me. "Everyone thought he was bad for you."

"And no one thought to tell me?" I was too tired to get more worked up about this.

"Would you have listened?" she asked, then took my silence for the correct answer. "Didn't think so. But it doesn't matter now. You're free of him, and that makes me so happy for you. So why did you break up with him?"

"I just, I don't know. I just felt like we were growing apart, not wanting the same things. We never actually saw each other. And he kept pressuring me to sleep with him, and I just wasn't ready for that," I confessed.

"You guys dated for two and a half years, but you weren't ready to have sex." From any other person, that would have been condescension. From Tasha, it was confusion.

"Well, it's not like we saw each other every day," I explained. "It was more like a weekend here, a couple of days there. I didn't feel like we were really in a committed relationship, you know? And I'm not a huge fan of non-committed sex, especially since I'm most likely the product of one."

"Oh, Sweetie, you are adorable," she sighed.

"I know, I'm old-fashioned. Laugh it up," I grumbled.

"No, I think it's sweet. I kinda wish I'd been able to have that mindset." I could hear the wistfulness in her voice.

"Well, now you have Clint," I reassured her.

"Yeah," she replied, and this time, I could hear the smile in her voice. "Speaking of, have you heard from him lately? I know he's on some kind of mission, but Fury won't update me since I'm no longer his partner."

"You know, if you informed SHIELD that you're married, I wouldn't need to play the middleman. And yeah, I have. He should be coming back tomorrow, Thursday at the latest."

"Oh good. Well, when you see him, give him a kiss for me."

"I think I've kissed your husband enough to last me a lifetime, thanks," I retorted.

"Oh, that's right. Well, say hi to him, and save your kisses for Steve." With that, she hung up before I could do more than angrily squawk.

"Whoa, was that you, Emily?" Darcy asked, peeking around the doorway. When I nodded, she continued. "I totally thought Clint was back for a second. Anyway, JARVIS informs me that it's been more than six hours since you last ingested something other than hot cocoa, so I'm going to feed you," she told me, coming to pull me off the couch. Then, seeing the condition of my hair, she amended. "After you shower. You're gross."

"Thanks, Darce," I muttered, but headed to my quarters nonetheless.

"You're welcome, Sunshine," she chirped.

For all of my grumblings, that shower felt amazing. I ended up washing my hair three times, just to make sure it was clean. And the water running over me was pure bliss. Once out, I felt more like a human being again.

Dressed and my hair braided down my back, I headed to the communal kitchen. While we all had kitchenettes in our rooms, Tony had also installed a gourmet kitchen on the shared floor. And Darcy, since moving in somewhere around February, had claimed it as her own. And as none of the rest of us cooked, besides Steve, we gratefully handed the reins over to her.

"Look who's back in the land of the living," Tony crowed when he caught sight of me.

"Don't be mean, Tony," Pepper scolded.

"Yeah, don't be mean, Tony," I echoed his girlfriend. "I might cough on you."

"I am really sorry I got you sick, Emily," Bruce piped up. "So, so sorry."

"It's okay, Bruce. It's not like you did it on purpose," I shrugged. "And besides, now I've gotten my yearly illness done and out of the way."

"Yearly illness?" most of the room's occupants questioned.

"Yeah, I usually get sick once a year. And if I don't get it out of the way before the end, it's usually really bad. Like when I got bronchitis on top of double ear infections," I answered. "That was when Clint broke his leg, I think. The first time."

"How many times has Robin Hood broken a leg?" Tony asked curiously.

"I've lost count. He's got more metal holding him together than tendons at this point. His x-rays are like one of those hidden object pictures."

Tony looked rather interested, but Darcy bringing over a huge pot of soup stopped him. Or rather, Darcy directing Thor to bring it over. "I'm so glad we've got Muscles over here to help out," she beamed. "I'd have never managed that by myself."

"Why soup? It's the middle of April," Tony pointed out.

"Because Emily is sick, and when you're sick, you get soup," she replied, like it was obvious.

"Thanks, Darce. It looks fantastic," I complimented.

"Smells amazing, too," Bruce added. Sadly, he didn't notice her blush. Then again, if it wasn't on the molecular level, he didn't seem to notice a lot.

We had dinner, like a very odd, very dysfunctional family. But then again, that's pretty much what we were, all of us in the Avengers Tower.

It was a quiet evening, until, all at once, every single cell phone went off. I knew what that meant, but I was the only one. Out of all of us, I was the only one who'd been with SHEILD during the Battle of New York. And that's how long it had been since we'd had a SHEILD-wide alert.

We all pulled out our phones and read the message. It was quiet as we all processed it, until-

"Son of a-"

"Tony!" Pepper admonished.

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't expecting something like this!" he defended.

"I don't know how you could have expected Director Fury would be murdered, Tony," Bruce said sardonically. "Unless you planned it."

"I've thought about it, but never seriously. The old pirate is gone," Tony said softly.

"He was a worthy leader," Thor added, in his quietest voice. Which really wasn't that quiet.

I stayed quiet while the others all discussed the newest development. What had happened? Who had done it? Who was going to take his place?

"Excuse me," I said quietly, pushing myself from the table.

Everyone else fell silent as I left the room, and I knew they were curious as to what my problem was. They all knew I wasn't Fury's biggest fan, but they didn't know why.

Once back in my room, I locked the door behind me. "JARVIS, make sure no one else is listening, please," I asked the invisible butler.

"The room is secure, Miss Emily," he told me, completely professionally. Then again, he was technically a computer.

"Thanks, J," I replied, before dialing a number on my phone from memory. When the other end was connected, I simply said, "Hi, Daddy."

**AN: Well, here it is! And two whole days before the deadline I gave myself. Just so you know, this chapter starts the day after Steve and Natasha's mission at the beginning of CA:TWS. So the whole part with her asking him about his dating life was just her way of finding out if there was hope for Emily. She's a sly matchmaker :D**

**Anyway, thanks to all who read my last story, and a HUGE shout out to all who've reviewed/favorited/followed. Daddy's Little Girl has over 100 favorites and nearly 150 follows. You have no idea how much that means to me. I'm so glad you like Emily's story, and thanks to all who've continued on to read this one. I'm not sure when the updates will be, but I won't leave you hanging. Thanks everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: As I'm now running out of clever ways to say I don't own Marvel, this will be my last disclaimer for the story. I don't own Marvel! Though even if I did, I'd still probably write fanfiction. It's just too much fun not to!**

Chapter 2

Dad and I talked for a long time, during which he assured me that he had no idea who was behind the assassination. "I think Secretary Pierce will be taking over, at least for now. Maybe Hill will be later on, but for now, it's Pierce."

"I've never liked him," I confessed.

"You didn't like Director Fury, either," he reminded, and I could hear him smiling.

"Well, at least I had a good reason for disliking Fury. I mean, if I could have at least told Clint and Tasha that you're alive, I would have liked him better. But no, none of the Avengers got to know, and I have to keep this huge secret from my friends."

"Would you rather have not known?"

"No! Of course not! I just wish they could know, too," I replied.

"I know, but for now, that information is classified. And I hate to do this, but I've really got to go, Sweetheart. Sky and Fitzsimmons are trying to reconstruct the Bus, and I want to make sure nothing explodes."

"Okay, I love you, Dad. Be safe!"

"You too." And then a click.

I wandered out of my room and back to the kitchen, thinking over everything Dad had told me. I was a bit lost in my thoughts when I got back to the others, so Tony asking "So?" totally threw me for a minute.

"So what?" I really had no idea what he was talking about.

"So what does your mysterious source have to say?" he prompted. At my attempted confused face, he scoffed. "We all know that's where you went. You had a little chat with your source, the one you refuse to name."

"You're just jealous that I know things and people you don't," I teased.

"What's the news?" Darcy interrupted. "We want to know what's going on!"

Giving in, I told them all that Dad had told me, while carefully concealing the fact that he'd been the one to tell me. Even though I knew why I couldn't tell them, I still greatly disliked basically lying to them.

The topic eventually moved to other places, but my mind stayed on it. "You ok?" I sent that text to two people, the ones that I knew would be the most affected by Fury's death.

Steve texted me back quickly, "I'm ok", but Tasha took a while. "I will be", finally came back to me, just before I went to bed that night. I was pretty sure Steve was lying to me, but I couldn't do anything about helping either one. And I hated it.

My illness seemed to be finally on the run the next morning. I could think straight, and my head didn't feel like it was going to explode from pressure. I took another ridiculously long shower, before getting ready for the day. And I made it upstairs just in time to see Darcy pulling scrumptious-looking muffins out of the oven. "You are going to be the reason I need new jeans," I moaned, before grabbing two, along with a glass of her fabulous orange smoothie.

"Oh, please! You're so tiny, just like Jane! And besides, you work anything you eat off. I've seen you in the gym. You even managed to get Clint on his butt," she countered.

"It was once, and because Tasha came in looking like a bombshell. Even more than usual," I told her.

"Itsy Bitsy did look fine," Tony said, coming into the kitchen looking like he hadn't slept the night before. But at Pepper's raised eyebrow, he quickly amended, "But no more so than you do every day, most beautiful Pepper."

"Tony, did you even sleep last night?" I questioned.

"Yes, I did, thank you, Mommy," he snarked.

I doubted him, so I asked JARVIS. He contradicted his creator. "Traitor," Tony mumbled.

"We've talked about this, Tony. You need to actually sleep every night, not just when you drop from exhaustion. Do you want a repeat of May?" I was referring to when he'd sort of cracked the year before, having panic attacks and other symptoms of PTSD. I still felt a bit guilty that I hadn't caught it earlier, but I hardly saw him, since he and Pepper had been splitting their time between New York and Malibu still. We'd had several good talks, after the first one where I'd had to have JARVIS lock us in his lab until he did.

"I'll sleep tomorrow," he said, slightly chastened.

"You will sleep tonight, whether or not I have to drug you," I promised.

"Whatever happened to 'Do no harm'? I thought you had to take some kind of oath to become a doctor," he muttered, but I knew he didn't mean it.

"I won't be doing any harm. I'll be helping you." My smile was rather sarcastic, just the way he liked it.

"I see how it is. I take you in to my home, out of the goodness of my heart, and you just come and take over, telling me how to live my life."

"You're such a drama queen, Stark." Clint's voice surprised us all, but then I turned to look at him. The smile that had started to form when I heard him fell when I actually saw him.

"What happened to you?" came from several mouths, but of course, Tony was so much more eloquent.

"You look like you went through a human-sized paper shredder."

Clint laughed hollowly. "I feel like it."

And that was my cue. "Is Bruce down in the lab, JARVIS?" I asked, already walking toward my brother.

"Yes, Miss Emily. Would you like me to send him to the medical center?"

"Please. Come on, Robin Hood. Let's go patch you up."

I took Clint's arm and threw it over my shoulder, letting him lean on me, since his leg looked like it might collapse at any moment. And then it did. I would have gone down, with Clint on top of me, if Thor hadn't been coming in from the elevator right then. "Let me help, Clint. I'm quite a bit sturdier than Emily."

"Yeah, just a bit," Clint laughed breathlessly, still trying to be tough. I knew that would last until we actually got him taken care of. Then he would be a little baby.

We got him down to the med center, where Bruce was waiting for us. Tony had put it in a few weeks after we first moved in, once he realized that being a superhero entailed a lot of fights, and a lot of fights meant a lot of hurts. He left me in charge of designing it, since I was the one who patched them up. And nobody was stupid enough to mess with my setup.

Taking care of Clint took more than an hour, even with Bruce helping me. "I'm starting to think Tony was right, Clint," I told my patient. "You didn't happen to fall into a human-sized paper shredder, did you?"

His laugh turned into a hiss as I swiped a particularly nasty cut on his face. "No, Em, I didn't."

"Then what happened?" Bruce asked.

"It's classified," the spy told us, but I somehow didn't believe him.

"It's not classified," I said. "You're just embarrassed!"

The pink tinge to his cheeks confirmed it. "Fine, but you can't tell Tony. Or Nat." When Bruce and I both nodded, he sighed. "I followed my target back to his headquarters, but our intel never said anything about him hiding in an alley that was infested with feral cats."

I stared at him, trying to wrap my head around the information I was just given. Then, when Bruce let out a little snort of laughter, I broke down laughing. I couldn't help it! "You- You got attacked… by cats!" My words came out in gasps, from laughing so hard.

"Laugh it up, Chuckles," Clint said darkly. "But until you have five creepy cats chasing you, you can't say a word."

"You realize that I have to give you a rabies shot now, right?" I asked, fighting to keep a straight face. I failed miserably.

"I hate you," he muttered, but rolled his sleeve obediently.

I gave him the necessary shot, which Tony, Bruce, and I had worked on combining into a one-time thing, instead of over a month or more. It was a good thing, too, since who knew if Clint would even be around in time to get the rest, otherwise. I also gave him some pain meds, since he winced anytime Bruce or I looked at him.

We left the babbling spy on the bed, before heading back to where we'd been before Clint had shown up. Bruce was intent on his lab, and I was hoping some of Darcy's muffins were still around when our phones went off, once again simultaneously. Shooting worried looks at each other, we pulled them out. The message on them paralyzed me for a moment, before running towards the elevator, Bruce right next to me.

"JARVIS, tell everyone to meet us in the living room, please," Bruce said, since we weren't sure exactly where everyone else was.

"They are already waiting for you, Dr. Banner." The cool British voice did nothing to soothe my anxiety. Nor did Tony screaming as soon as we exited, "What the holy crap is going on?"

A dim part of my brain registered his censoring for me, but most of me didn't care. "Why on earth would Steve be on the run from SHIELD?" I asked, more confused than I'd ever been.

"You don't know anything?" Darcy asked me. "I mean, you are his best friend."

"No, we haven't talked for a few days. I texted him yesterday, just to make sure he was okay after Fury's death, but we haven't really talked. Between missions for him, and research for me, we just haven't had much time."

"But he's wanted in connection to Fury's death. That's really bad," she said.

"Thank you, Darcy, for stating the obvious," Tony snarked.

"He must know something he wouldn't tell Pierce," Bruce muttered, ignoring his friend. We were all pretty used to it by then, anyway. That's just how Tony was when he was upset.

"We can't trust SHIELD right now," Jane said quietly. "We know Steve, and he wouldn't go against SHIELD, unless it was really important. Which means we can't trust the people who employ us."

That sent a figurative shock wave through us all. "What do we do?" Darcy whispered.

"We all stay here," Thor stated. "Until we know what is going on with Steven, we must all stay here."

"He's right," I added. "We don't know who to trust, except for the people in this room, Clint, Tasha, and Steve."

"JARVIS, lock down the private floors," Tony commanded. "Nobody gets in here until I say so."

"Of course, Sir. Would you like me to try calling Captain Rogers?" the invisible butler asked.

"You might as well."

"I doubt he'll answer, but you can try," I told him.

Tony shrugged, waiting with the rest of us as we heard the ringing. Unsurprisingly, it went to voicemail. "It's Steve, please leave a message."

"Oh, I'll leave you a message," Tony muttered, but I overrode him. "Steve, call us back as soon as you get this. We're worried about you. Please call us."

After that failed attempt, we sort of floated around the Tower, not really knowing what to do. After half an hour, Tony mumbled something about fixing something and headed to his workshop. Bruce went back to his lab, with Jane following him. Darcy wrangled Thor into helping her clean up the kitchen. And I was left to stare at my phone, willing it to ring.

When it did, I jumped about a mile in the air, before snatching it up from where it had fallen to the floor. My relief was short-lived when I realized it was another all-SHIELD message. "Agent Natasha Romanoff, AKA the Black Widow, has shown herself to be in league with Captain America. All SHIELD personnel are required to report any sighting of either fugitives directly to Secretary Pierce."

"Not likely," I muttered, deleting the message with a vengeance.

"What's going on?" Darcy asked, eyes wide as she came back to the living room, Thor trailing behind her and looking more serious than I'd ever seen him. And that included the time I watched him take his little brother home in chains and a muzzle.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," I promised.

Over the next hour, I called Steve and Tasha continuously, calling one, then when they didn't answer, hanging up and calling the other. I was getting a bit frustrated, and more than a bit concerned, so the next time Tasha's phone went to voicemail, I exploded. "Natalia Alianovna Romanova, if you don't answer this minute, I'll-"

"You'll what, kotenok?" she asked in amusement.

Relief flooding through me, I shrugged. "I hadn't gotten that far, so it's a good thing you answered."

She laughed. "Like you would hurt me."

"You don't know how worried I've been the last hour or so. And tell Steve he needs to answer his phone next time, too. But what is going on, Tasha? Why are you two on the run from SHIELD?"

"We're not sure, not yet. Fury suspected something, and that's what got him killed. We're going to try and find out. But don't trust Pierce, Emily. We think he's involved somehow."

"Yeah, you and me both. But where are you? We'll come meet you guys and help," I offered, already heading to Tony's workshop.

"No, you all have to stay there. The more of us involved, the easier it will be for SHIELD to find us," Tasha warned. "Keep everyone there in the Tower, even Clint when he gets back."

"He is back, and you know he's not going to listen to me, Tasha. Not when you're in trouble."

"You've got to, Em. I can't see him hurt because of me. Please, keep him there, no matter what you have to do. Keep him safe," she whispered.

I caved at the terror she was hiding in her voice. "Alright, but please let us know if something changes," I begged. "If you need our help at all, you let us know."

"I will, kotenok. Stay safe, okay?"

I snorted. "You're the one doing dangerous stuff, but you tell me to stay safe. Right."

"Exactly." She was back to normal, now. "And Steve seconds that."

"You both had better return in one piece, or I will do something very scary to you," I promised. "I'll figure out exactly what that is later, but come back to us."

"Will do," Tasha said, totally smirking. "Love you, kotenok."

"Love you, too, starshaya sestra," I replied, before she hung up.

I knew it was bad, if she was telling me she loved me. That sounded way too much like a goodbye, even though she promised to come back. But even if she had no intention of keeping her promise, I wasn't about to break mine. So I headed back down to the med center, grabbed a syringe and a bottle of morphine. "Sorry, Clint," I whispered, before plunging the needle into his IV. "On this one, I agree with Tasha. But only because you're already hurt. I'm sorry."

Kissing my big brother's forehead, I watched him sleep for a moment, making sure everything was okay with at least one person I loved. Then I headed to the lab, asking JARVIS to have everyone meet me there.

Once we were all together again, I relayed my conversation with Tasha. About fifteen seconds of silence, and then, "We've gotta help them," Tony exploded. "We've gotta help them."

"Natasha was right, Tony," Pepper said. "The more people there are, the more likely SHIELD will catch them."

"But they're my team, Pep," he pleaded. I knew he really meant his family, and I knew exactly how he felt.

Unfortunately, logic told me I had to disagree with him. "I know how you feel, Tony. It's my big sister and my best friend out there. I want to go help them with everything that I am, but instead, I just drugged my big brother to keep him here. And don't think I won't do it to you, either, if you try to sneak out. Because Natasha was right. And besides, we don't even know where they are."

"I installed tracking devices on their phones," he scoffed. "We could find them."

"Agent Romanoff disabled the tracking on both phones, Sir," JARVIS announced.

"She can figure out how to disable Tony's secret tracking devices, but she can't figure out how to change the ringtones?" Darcy marvelled.

"She secretly likes them," I smiled. "So she hasn't really tried."

"That means that you do, too," Tony said, switching into ADHD mode. "Otherwise, you would have figured out by now how to change them."

"JARVIS told me how to the same day you gave me the phone," I confessed. "So yes, I like them. Except when small children singing 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' is what I wake up to from fevered dreams."

Tony grinned, about to crow in his own genius, but Bruce cut him off. "So what do we do now?"

I sighed, brought back from our momentary distraction. "We wait, Bruce. That's all we can do. Wait, and maybe pray."

**AN: Here is the next chapter! And it's a pretty long one, too. Thanks to all who've reviewed/followed/favorited. All Grown Up already has 16 favorites and 20 follows, and that's just for the first chapter. You guys are too good to me and Emily. Thanks for sticking with us. **

**Also, just in case you forgot, kotenok is Russian for kitten, and starshaya sestra means big sister. I think that was all the Russian in this chapter. If I've forgotten something, just send me a review or PM and I'll let you know.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

All I could do was wait around, hoping for some sort of news about two of the most important people in my life. I ended up bothering Tony in his workshop for a while, though he didn't seem to mind. I figured he needed some sort of distraction, too.

"So, how are things with you and your boyfriend?" he asked me, as he nearly welded his hand onto whatever it was he was making.

I groaned. "He is not my boyfriend!"

Tony whipped around to look at me, almost singing off my eyebrows in the process. Once he remembered he still had the welding torch in his hand and it was lit, he turned it off, then pulled off his goggles. "You broke up with Casey or whatever his name is?"

"Oh, um, yeah, I did about three weeks ago," I told him, the flames in my cheeks giving his torch a run for its money.

"Well, that's good. But who did you think I meant?" he asked, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"It's nothing, just something Tasha said yesterday," I tried to deflect, but Tony was like a bulldog when he had something on his mind. He refused to let go until he got what he wanted.

"Methinks that blush wouldn't be there if it was nothing," he sang.

"Shut up, Tony," I muttered, getting up to leave.

I was almost to the door when he gasped. Thinking he had hurt himself again, I whirled around, only to see him with a dumbstruck look on his face. "I can't believe I didn't see it before," he whispered.

"See what?" I was more than a little apprehensive as to what he thought he saw.

"You and Cap. I mean, I knew he's been in love with you for a year or more, but he's way too honorable to go after a taken woman. But you! I can't believe I didn't see it."

"I'm not in love with Steve," I argued. "And he's not in love with me, either! We're just friends!"

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Tony smirked. "I mean, have you seen you two together? On movie nights, he's like your personal couch-slash-blanket. You guys finish each other's sentences. You've pretended to be his girlfriend to keep the crazies away. You guys are both so ridiculously adorable, it's like you were made for each other."

"As best friends," I told him.

Tony looked at me, head tilted to the side, like I was some sort of puzzle he needed to figure out. Then, a light went on behind his eyes. "You don't even realize it, do you?"

"Tony, I'm leaving. Have fun in your delusions," I told him, leaving with a bit of a huff.

Back in my room, I told JARVIS to play some music for me. He complied, not that I really paid any attention to what was playing. "Why does everyone think we like each other?" I muttered. But looking around my room sort of gave me the answer. Nearly every picture was of the two of us with our arms around each other. Even those that had other people in them, as well, we were practically glued together. There we were, at Tony's New Year's Eve party, my arm around his waist, and his around my shoulders. At Coney Island, me pretending to lift him over my back. At Disneyland, with him really lifting me onto his back. In Central Park, with my head on his lap as we had a picnic. Picture after picture showed the two of us, always touching. And in every picture, Steve was looking at me, instead of the camera, with a huge smile on his face, like I was what lit his world, rather than the sun.

I slid to the floor, or really, more like collapsed. Was my best friend actually in love with me? A picture's worth a thousand words, and I definitely had more than enough pictures. How could I have missed that?

And, more importantly, how did I feel about it? I thought about Steve, the way he was so caring, so passionate about helping other people. But he was also a goofball, loving to tease and play jokes on the others. I thought about the way we have rigged the microscopes in the lab to give nice rings around the eyes of anyone unlucky enough to look through them. I laughed when I thought about the look of glee on Steve's face when Tony, Bruce, and Jane had come upstairs with identical rings around their eyes. And then how he'd jokingly thrown me in their path to save himself.

As the memory worked its way over me, I closed my eyes, resting my head on the wall behind me. I remembered the feeling of his arms around me, how good they'd always felt. How safe I'd always felt in them. Goosebumps erupted on my arms and legs as I remembered how he always wrapped me in a hug, burying his face in my neck. Or how we always cuddled during a movie, with me tucked up under his arm. He'd usually run his fingers through my hair, or over my arms. It was like we couldn't be in the same room without having to touch, at least a little. And I realized that I loved it.

"It took the rumor to make me wonder, Now I'm convinced that I'm goin' under."

The music suddenly jarred me, making me aware of it. After a few more lines of the song, I sighed and shook my head in amusement. "Et tu, JARVIS?"

"I have no understanding of what you mean, Miss Emily," the butler told me. But we both knew better. Even the AI thought I should be with Steve. And I had to agree. Now, all I had to do was wait until I could see him again so I could tell him.

The next afternoon, JARVIS called us all to the living room and directed our attention to the huge screen. We watched as several news stations showed us what was going on at the Triskelion. Steve and some guy wearing amazing mechanical wings (that Tony gasped at and muttered something about stolen equipment) fought some guy with a metal arm on one of the three helicarriers that made up Project Insight. The metal arm guy ripped one of the wings of fly boy, sending him careening to the ground. Fly boy was okay, thankfully, but that meant it was just Steve against metal arm guy, who looked just about as strong as Steve, if not more.

We watched what we could see of their fight, with my fingers digging into Tony's arm the entire time. Then, the three helicarriers suddenly turned and fired on each other. "Steve's still on there," I gasped, digging into Tony's arm even more.

He carefully disentangled himself, then wrapped that arm around me. "He'll be okay, Princess. He's Captain America." But I could tell he was trying to convince himself, as well as me.

"Look!" Darcy yelled, pointing to the middle of the screen.

I squinted, then gasped again. It was Steve, but he was falling from the helicarrier. And it didn't look like a controlled descent, either. "That's it. I'm going to D.C. Anybody else?" Tony asked, already heading to the armory for his suit.

"You couldn't keep me here," I muttered, running to my rooms to pack.

In the end, everyone ended up going, except for Jane. "Someone has to look after Clint. And don't worry, we'll follow once he wakes up," she said, kissing her boyfriend goodbye. I felt a little guilty, since I was actually Clint's doctor, but she spared me the grief. "Steve's going to need you more than Clint will."

I nodded gratefully, before climbing into Tony's jet. Thankfully, he'd added some upgrades, making it just as fast as SHIELD's quinjets. An hour later, we were in D.C., climbing into the van he'd ordered for us.

"Tasha, where are you?" I asked, after she'd finally answered her phone.

"At GWU Hospital. We found Steve, and he just came out of surgery right now," she said, sounding exhausted.

"Good, we'll be there in ten, fifteen minutes, tops," I told her, then told Tony where to go.

We made it in nine. Tony didn't bother with things like traffic lights or signalling. But I didn't care. I had to see Steve, had to make sure he was alive.

Tasha met us in the lobby, then directed us where to go. As soon as I heard his room number, I took off running. I left the others behind, hearing Tony arguing with the lady behind the desk about taking Steve home.

Finding his room was easy. Getting into it, however, was not. "You can't go in there, miss," a very large nurse said, stopping me with my hand on the handle.

"Is this Steve Rogers' room?" I asked, fully prepared to take this woman down if that's what I had to do.

"Yes, but you can't go in there," she insisted, looming over me with her considerable height. And girth.

"I am Steve's personal doctor, and his best friend. I will go in there, and there is nothing you can do to stop me," I promised.

She must have seen that I meant it, since she backed off, grumbling. I slipped into his room, where he was sleeping peacefully. Fly boy from earlier was sitting in the chair next to him, with an iPhone playing Marvin Gaye softly.

Fly boy grinned when he saw me. "You must be Emily," he said quietly.

"I must be?" I was more than a little thrown at that pronouncement.

"Unless there's another tiny, feisty redhead in Steve's life that I don't know about," he joked. "I'm Sam Wilson."

"Hi, Sam. As you guessed, I'm Emily Coulson," I answered, shaking his hand.

"Steve talks about you a lot. Natasha, too. And when I heard you tell Nurse Terrifying off out there, I knew there was only one person it could be," he told me, the grin never leaving his face.

"Well, if she thinks she can keep me from my best friend, she has another thing coming," I muttered, going to Steve's side.

"I'm gonna get something to eat. You want anything?" Sam asked from behind me.

"No, I'm good, thanks," I told him, never taking my eyes off the man in front of me.

I vaguely heard Sam leave, but I was too worried about Steve to care. I'd never seen him hurt this badly, since the serum always healed him so quickly. "He must have been some sort of super soldier, too, to do this much damage."

I traced the cut on his cheek lightly, feeling the stitches in his cheek. I barely had time to note that he'd never needed stitches in the past before he stirred. "Emily?" he practically croaked out.

"Oh my gosh, Steve! You're okay," I sighed, a tear slipping out that I hadn't planned on.

He smiled, wiping it away. "Yeah, I'm okay."

I threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly. His arms immediately went around my waist, pulling me to sit on the side of his bed. All the pent up worry and terror came out then, in the form of sobs. I cried into his chest while he just held me. "I'm okay, Em. I promise."

After I finally stopped crying, I pulled back enough to wipe at my eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Give me another day or so and the stitches will come out, and a few days after that, you won't even remember they were ever there," Steve told me comfortingly.

"Good. Now what on earth were you thinking? You could have been killed! We could have helped you! That's what a team is for, you-"

But what he was, I never got to tell him. Instead, his hand came up from my waist to slip beneath my hair and pull me close. His lips on mine shocked me into silence, and it was another brief second before my brain clicked on and I started kissing him back.

It was fabulous. Two years' worth of pent up emotion crashing down on us, he pulled me closer. His hand still on my waist wrapped around me, and the hand in my hair fisted a bit, making me gasp. He took the opening to deepen the kiss, making me simultaneously feet weak and like I could take on the world.

My hands had barely found their way to his soft hair when he suddenly pulled back. "I'm so sorry, Emily. I'm sorry. I shouldn't- I'm not that kind of guy, I swear. I didn't mean to-"

I cut off his babbling, rather worried now. "You're not what kind of guy?"

"I'm not the kind of guy to steal another man's girl," he sighed, trying to untangle us.

But I just held on tighter. "Then it's a good thing I'm not another man's girl, huh?"

Steve's eyes practically glowed, they lit up so much. "You aren't dating Carter, anymore?" he asked hopefully.

"Nope," was all I managed to get out before his lips came crashing down on mine again.

I was (very) dimly aware of his heart monitor beeping like crazy, but I didn't care. Steve's lips on mine were the only thing I wanted at that moment, and everything else could jump off a cliff for all I cared. Until Tony's very amused voice interrupted. "I guess you figured it out, then."

**AN: Surprise! Two chapters in one day. I must say, I'm a little impressed with myself. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this! So many of the reviews I've gotten have been asking when Emily would dump Carter and get together with Steve, so here you go! Hopefully, I wasn't too obvious where this was headed, but even if it was, I love it. Even JARVIS shipped them. Just goes to show they were meant to be together :D**

**The song JARVIS plays for Emily is "Let's Give Them Something To Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt. I don't own that anymore than I do the MCU. **

**Also, from here on out, it's going to get pretty AU, since we don't know exactly what's going to happen in Age of Ultron. And I'm really not looking forward to Civil War, since it puts my two favorite Avengers on opposing sides. But I'm still going to see it opening night. Sigh. Fangirl problems!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Steve and I pulled apart, only to see Tony grinning wolfishly. "Don't let me stop you," he told us, but we didn't listen. I was not about to kiss Steve in front of Tony, and especially not before we actually talked about what we now were. That was just not going to happen.

And that just made Tony grin even more. "Well, if you're not too busy," he said, which made me glare at him more, "then I'm here to tell Cap that we are springing you from this joint. We're all going to my hotel. Before you get too excited, though, I'm sure that Dr. Coulson here will insist on continued bed rest." Then he snorted. "Bed rest. That's what they're calling it these days."

"I swear, you are a thirteen-year-old," I sighed.

"That's why you love me. Now, that's get the Capsicle unplugged from all this," he said, waving his hand vaguely at all the wires attached to Steve.

"Remind me never to let you near any medical procedures that aren't being performed on you," I sighed, slapping his hand away from the IV in Steve's arm.

"Hey, I was fantastic during Pepper's," he protested, highly offended.

"Yes, because I was the one who actually did it. You figured out what we needed to do, but I'm the one who actually did it. And I am never operating on you ever again. At least not while you're conscious."

"It wasn't that bad, Princess," Tony whined.

"Yes. Yes, it was. I had you giggling and telling me I was tickling your spleen. I wasn't anywhere near your spleen, Tony."

"I was mildly delirious. You can't blame me for that."

"Yes, I can. You're the one who insisted you needed to be awake. Never again," I promised. Then, to Steve, I added, "You're all unattached. Let's get you to Casa Stark, so you can finish healing."

Just then, Sam came back in the room. "Whoa, where are you guys taking him?" he asked, slightly blocking the doorway.

"We are going to The Fairfax. I own it, and the whole top floor is specifically saved for me to use. Wanna come with, Fly Boy?" Tony asked. "There's plenty of room for all of us."

"All of us?" Sam had an interesting mix of curiosity and awe going across his face.

"All of the Avengers, except Hawkeye. Well, he'll be coming, too, as soon as he wakes up," I explained.

"What happened to Clint?" Steve asked worriedly, while Sam silently fanboyed, his mouth opening and closing humorously.

"He had an interesting mission, and got hurt, so when Tasha told me I had to keep him in New York, I may or may not have slipped him some extra morphine to keep him asleep," I said, completely unapologetically.

Sam's face changed to awe again. "You've got quite the girl here, Cap. Remind me never to get on her bad side."

"Never a good idea," Steve agreed, grinning at me.

"Though she be but little, she is fierce," Tony added.

I simply curtsied. "Thank you, gentlemen. But I believe that we have a crowd of very anxious superheroes waiting in the lobby. It's best not to keep them waiting. Especially Thor."

After much maneuvering, we managed to get all of us to Tony's hotel. As with everything he did, it was huge and ostentatious and absolutely beautiful. Once we got up to the penthouse suite, which took over the entire top floor, he let us loose. "Those of you who have been here before, your rooms are still waiting for you. New people, pick a room that hasn't been claimed. And no powers in the hotel!" he called after Thor. "Jean Luc would kill me if we suddenly had a hole in the roof. JARVIS, uplink please."

"Do you go anywhere without JARVIS?" Steve asked him.

"Not if I can help it. JARVIS is built in here, so I can use him when I'm here. And keep an eye on Pepper when she's here on business."

"You have JARVIS spy on me?" Pepper asked, rather angry.

"No, no, of course not," Tony backpedalled furiously. "No, I just have him keep an eye on things to make sure you're okay. I don't want anything to happen to you, Pep, especially after what happened with Killian."

She visibly softened. "I love you, too, Tony. But if you use JARVIS to watch me shower, you are going to be in so much trouble." She then headed to the master suite.

"I can't believe I never thought about that," he said, completely dumbstruck. "Pepper!" And then he ran after her.

"Let's get you a room," I told Steve. "I think there's still one empty next to mine."

Once we made it to the room, I got Steve comfortable, then started to leave. But his hand around mine stopped me. "Don't leave, Em."

"You need rest." My mouth protested, but my body was already complying. He grinned, then pulled me down next to him, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"Rest doesn't necessarily equal sleep," he said, pressing a kiss to my hair.

"I guess it doesn't," I sighed in agreement, snuggling closer to him.

We were silent for a while, just enjoying being together. He played with my hair, letting the strands fall through his fingers over and over again. I was nearly asleep when he spoke.

"It was Bucky," he said quietly.

I pulled back sharply to look at him. "What?"

"It was Bucky," Steve repeated. "Bucky is the Winter Soldier."

"Steve, Bucky died in 1945," I reminded softly.

"So did I. At least that's what everyone thought." He had a point, there. "I saw his face. It was Bucky. I don't know what HYDRA did to him, but I know beyond a doubt that it was James Buchanan Barnes."

I was quiet for a minute, letting the information settle. "Okay, what are we going to do?"

"You believe me?" Steve was incredulous.

"Of course I do. If you say it's Bucky, then who am I to argue? I mean, just because someone is supposed to be dead, doesn't mean they actually are. And I, for one, am very glad that's not always the case."

He kissed me briefly, but hotly. "What did I do to deserve a girl like you? I mean, I'm just a kid from Brooklyn, and you're a high class dame from the Upper East Side."

"You forget, I'm a high class dame from the Upper East Side who used to pick pockets to survive," I argued. "And besides, how many times have you saved the world?"

"I guess we're even, then," he grinned, before kissing me again.

After we came up for air, I snuggled back into his chest. "So what's our plan for finding Bucky?"

We talked for a while, but didn't really come up with a definitive plan. After all, we had no idea where Bucky might be, or go, or anything about how he'd spent the last seventy years, other than the whole HYDRA assassin thing. So we eventually agreed to get the others to help.

After Steve's fifth yawn, I finally pulled myself away. "You need sleep," I laughed as he pretended to pull me back in. After all, if he had really tried, we both knew I wouldn't have been able to go anywhere.

"Yes, Doctor," he grumbled, but kissed me goodbye anyway.

I went to my room to try and get some sleep, as well, since I'd barely slept the night before from worrying about Steve and Tasha. But fate had other plans for me. My phone rang, and I groaned when I realized who it was. "What do you want, Carter?"

"Please, Emily, I just want to talk to you, see you. I need to explain something," my ex told me.

"It won't change anything. We are over," I said, echoing the same thing I'd told him every time we'd talked since we'd broken up.

"Please, I just want to see you. One last time."

"How do you know I'm in D.C.?" My intuition kicked in a little, and it worried me.

"Please, everyone saw Captain America fighting on the Triskelion earlier. I know you're here to see him," Carter said a little bitterly.

"Whatever. I still don't want to see you."

"Please, Emily. Just this one last time, and then if nothing changes, I'll leave you alone. I won't call anymore," he promised.

Sighing, I considered it. "Fine. I'm at The Fairfax. Meet me in fifteen minutes in the lobby." I hung up, then asked JARVIS where I could have some privacy.

"The Northern Conference Room is available for the rest of the afternoon. No one should bother you there, Miss Emily."

"Thanks, J. You really are the best," I told the AI. Then I cringed. "I seriously have to change."

Fifteen minutes later saw me in a pencil skirt, buttoned down blouse, and heels. There was no way I was going to let Carter see me in jeans and a tee. I even fixed my hair and makeup, making sure I looked my best. Carter couldn't see me at anything less than that.

As I rode the elevator down, another spark of intuition hit me. "Hey, JARVIS, can you do me a favor?"

"Of course, Miss Emily, if it is within my power, I will be more than happy to assist you."

"Bless you. Anyway, can you wait five minutes, and then tell Bruce where I am? And with whom? Just to be on the safe side."

"Of course. Is there anything else you require?" the British voice asked.

"No, that's it. Thanks, J. You rock," I told him as the elevator doors opened to the lobby.

Carter was there waiting for me. "You look… fantastic," he told me, moving in for a hug. I put my hands out, stopping him. His face dropped a bit, then he perked up again. "There's a little cafe just around the corner. It's pretty good."

"There's an empty conference room right here," I contradicted, not wanting to leave the hotel with him. I didn't know why, but I suddenly didn't trust him.

"Oh, alright," he agreed reluctantly, following me to the conference room.

Once we had the door shut, I leaned against the table, arms crossed. "You wanted to talk. So talk."

"Look, Em, I'm not really sure what happened between us. I thought we were good. I just want to give us another shot. I deserve another shot," Carter said, closing the space between us slowly.

I held my ground, physically as well as in our relationship. "Carter, I really don't want to be with you anymore. And I don't think you deserve another shot. I gave you two years of 'another shot'. I'm done."

"Is this about Captain America?" he asked angrily.

"Well, now that you mention it, yes, Steve and I are together. But don't think that he was the reason I broke up with you. I broke up with you because our relationship was all about you. We did what you wanted to do. We ate where you wanted to eat. Everything was you. I couldn't take it anymore. And so I broke up with you. We are done," I informed him.

"And there's no chance for us? Are you sure?" Carter asked me.

"No. None whatsoever."

"Well, that's too bad," he said, then suddenly pulled a gun from his uniform jacket. "That makes this more difficult than it really needed to be."

"What are you doing?" I asked, seeing, but not really comprehending.

"What we are going to do is this. You are going to walk through that door, with a smile on your face, and we are going to leave the hotel. You're not going to contact anyone, not let anyone know what's happening. And we are going to meet up with some friends of mine." The smile on his face was more than a bit manic. He gestured to the door with his gun. "Come on."

I straightened up. "I think you're forgetting something."

"And what is that?" His smile got cockier, if that was possible.

I knocked his gun out of his hand, then swept his feet out from under him. As he was going down, I pushed myself forward, landing on top of him. With the breath knocked out of him, I grinned. "You forgot Clint and Tasha trained me," I told him, before knocking him out.

The door flew open, and I scrambled to get Carter's gun. Then I froze as everyone came rushing in. Tasha had her gun out, ready for anything. Bruce was looking a bit green, hands clenched into fists. Tony had his gauntlets on and ready to fire. Pepper, surprisingly, also had a gun. Mjolnir was clenched in Thor's hand. Darcy already had her taser going. And Steve simply looked ready to kill someone.

"Hey, guys," I said, weakly, letting my hands fall. "JARVIS, I thought I said to tell Bruce, not the whole freaking floor."

"My apologies, Miss Emily, but Dr. Banner was standing next to Sir, and Sir was a bit vociferous in his exclamation."

"What is going on, Em?" Darcy asked, eyes continually flicking from my face, to the gun in my hand, to my ex, unconscious on the floor.

"Well, Carter called and said he wanted to talk. I guess 'talk' is code for kidnapping these days," I joked weakly.

"Please tell me he's HYDRA," Tasha said.

"I'm thinking so, but I'm not really sure. I knocked him out before we got that far."

"That's my girl," she replied.

"Let's get this cretin off my floor," Tony instructed. "I don't need drool on that. Jean Luc wouldn't be too happy."

Thor merely picked Carter up, throwing him over his shoulder. As we made our way to Tony's private elevator ("It probably wouldn't be too good for someone to see us drag an unconscious body to my floor"), Darcy peppered me with questions. "What happened? Are you okay? What's going on?" I didn't really answer her. Instead, I kept looking at Steve, who refused to meet my eyes. I really didn't know what to think about that.

**AN: Sorry this took so long to get out. Life is crazy, and my muse was a bit dead. I'll try to be a bit speedier in the future. But on the plus side, for those of you who hated Carter, this one's for you! Emily will find out more on that later, but you guys guessed it. He is HYDRA. All the reviews asking if he was made me laugh. I swear, almost every single one since I introduced him asked if he was HYDRA. So congrats on your deductions! You are all fantastic!**

**Also, thanks for sticking with me and Emily. i adore you all who reviewed/favorited/followed. Over 20 favorites by Chapter 3! I'm so lucky to have all of you!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The elevator ride to the penthouse was a bit awkward. Not only were there nine people, one of whom was incapacitated, but also almost everyone kept talking over each other, trying to find out what had happened. Okay, so it was mostly Tony, Thor, and Darcy, with a little bit of Bruce and Pepper, but it was still very loud. Finally, I couldn't take anymore. "I will tell everyone what happened once we get to our floor," I yelled, and everyone thankfully shut up.

Thor dumped Carter onto a chair, to which Tony and Tasha promptly duct taped him. "Okay, Princess, spill," Tony ordered, once Carter was satisfactorily bound.

"Basically, once Carter realized I was never taking him back, he pulled a gun on me and tried to kidnap me. I knocked the gun out of his hand, knocked him down, then knocked him out. That's really all that happened," I explained.

"But why? Why did he want you? What was he going to do to you?" Darcy fired the questions at me at rapid speed.

"I don't know. We're just going to have to wait until he wakes up."

"Are you okay?" Pepper asked me, concern written all over her face.

"Oh, yeah. It would take a lot more than a guy holding a gun and underestimating me to get the drop on me," I assured her. "Tasha and Clint taught me well," I added, bumping my sister's shoulder.

"I'm just glad we did teach you," she said seriously.

"So what do we do now?" Darcy asked nervously. "I mean, we can't just dump Bozo off at the police station, not if he's got ties to HYDRA. And with SHIELD gone, we can't send him there, either. Oh my gosh, SHIELD is gone. I'm unemployed. Again."

That hit me. "I am, too. Weird."

"You two don't check your bank accounts very often, do you?" Tony asked.

"I only check to make sure I have enough to cover what I need to do. And since I haven't had to pay for room, board, or alcohol lately, not really," Darcy replied.

"Dad put every penny he got from Hazard and Vacation into a trust fund for me, which I've had access to since I was twenty-one, so I haven't really had to worry about money," I confessed.

"Huh. Well, you've been on Stark Industry's payroll since you moved into the Tower, same as everyone else in here," Tony told us, heading out of the room. "We need to leave, before HYDRA tries to come back, or someone tries to arrest some of you for being SHIELD. I wouldn't put it past some of the other agencies to do something like that," he added over his shoulder.

Everyone stared after him. Well, everyone but Pepper. "You really shouldn't be too surprised," she told us. "Tony has always taken care of his family. You'd better pack up. Tony's ordered the plane to be ready in an hour, and it's almost rush hour." Then she followed her boyfriend out of the room.

Everyone scattered, packing up what they had just unpacked a few minutes before. I slipped into Steve's room just before the door shut. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong, or do I have to guess?"

He didn't even turn to look at me. "My girl was almost kidnapped. Am I not allowed to be mad about that?"

"If that was the only thing wrong, you would have your arms around me right now, making sure I was okay. No, you're mad at me for something. What is it?" I pushed.

"I'm not mad at you," he stubbornly refuted.

"I know you way too well for that to fly, Steve. What's wrong?"

Steve shook his head. "Why didn't you have JARVIS tell me?" he asked quietly.

I was thrown. "That's what you're mad about?" I asked incredulously. "Bruce is the most level-headed one of the bunch, and I knew you were sleeping. You needed your sleep."

"I needed sleep more than to protect my girl. I get it," he said, then turned to make up the bed, ignoring me again.

"First off, I didn't need protecting. I can take care of myself. I only had JARVIS tell Bruce as a precaution, because I'm not an idiot, meeting with someone by myself when my common sense is screaming that he might try to hurt me. And secondly, I will always try to put your well-being ahead of my own. You got beaten half to death this morning, so yeah, I didn't wake you up. And I'm not going to apologize for that."

Steve still didn't turn around. "That's fine," he told me, straightening the already perfect covers.

"Clearly, it's not fine," I argued. "What is really bothering you?"

"How do you know that's not it? That's not what's bothering me?" he asked, finally turning to look at me, eyes blazing.

"Because I know you. You've been my best friend for two and a half years now. I know when you're using something as a screen for something else. What's really wrong, Steve?" I asked gently, resting my hand on his arm.

He sighed, looking down at my hand. "I just- I don't know. I just feel like I'm not enough for you. Like you had to go to Bruce because you didn't think I would be able to protect you. Like you didn't trust me to be there for you when you needed it most."

Gasping, I squeezed his arm. "That's not true, Steve. I trust you over- Honestly, I trust you more than any other person on earth. I know that you would always- You would never let something bad happen to me if you could avoid it. I know that, Steve. I just didn't want to wake you up for something that would probably turn out to be nothing. I wanted you to be able to continue healing."

"Intellectually, I knew it was something like that. But deep down, I've always been that scrawny kid from Brooklyn who no one would have turned to for help. I can't get him out of my head," he confessed softly.

"If I had met that scrawny kid from Brooklyn, I would have wanted him on my side," I told him. "And I always want this fantastic, gorgeous, hunky guy on my side," I added with a smile.

Steve wrapped me in his arms, pressing a kiss to my hair. "I guess I'm just not very good at this boyfriend stuff yet. I've never actually had a girlfriend, before."

"That's okay. Experience doesn't always equate to knowledge. I mean, the only boyfriend I've ever had just tried to kidnap me, so I think we're on equal footing here, really," I joked.

"Have I told you how utterly fantastic you are?" he said, looking down at me with what looked like awe.

"Not in the past five minutes."

"Hm, well, I guess I need to rectify that mistake. You are amazing, and I will forever be astonished that someone like you chose to be with someone like me."

"I think you're pretty great, too, big fella," I teased, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him quickly.

Well, it was meant to be quickly, but it turned out to be a rather lengthy kiss. Steve's arms kept me pinned against his chest, and I was not about to complain. And he definitely liked my hands in his hair.

"Hey, Steve, Tony says we need to leave now- When did this happen?" Darcy asked, interrupting a very pleasant experience.

"About an hour ago," Steve said proudly, arms still around me. "But you said we need to leave?"

Darcy was looking a bit dumbstruck, but she shook it off quickly enough. "Yeah, the car is here to take us to the plane. And Tony owes me fifty bucks."

"You made a bet about us?" I asked, because that was the only thing that made sense with her words. But with Darcy, you never really knew.

"Yep, I bet him fifty bucks that you guys would get together the next time you saw each other. Or at least kiss. So he owes me a Grant," she sang, dancing out of the room.

"We'd better get going, then," Steve said, looking back at me. Then he paused, eyebrow quirked as he looked me over. After a moment, a smile crept its way across his face.

"What?" I questioned, feeling a bit self-conscious at that smile.

"I think I just figured out something about you," he told me.

A brief moment of silence, and then I couldn't take it any longer. "What? What did you figure out?"

"I don't think I'm going to tell you," he teased. But at my pout, he acquiesced. "Your clothes, they're like- It's how you suit up. Your clothes are your armor. You show the world this polished, perfected side of you, never letting them see you as anything less than perfect. And you only let a few of us see the real you, the one who actually loves hoodies and jeans."

I blushed, slightly embarrassed that he had been able to really understand me at such a basic level. "When you're a foster kid, tossed around like a football, you rarely have clothes that actually fit. Everything is hand-me-down, sometimes girls' clothes, sometimes boys'. Sometimes it fit, sometimes it didn't. So, when I was adopted, and especially after getting close with Tasha, I decided that I would always have nice clothes, fashionable clothes. I didn't want to be that little orphan anymore. I didn't want to be seen as that little orphan. So I made sure that when a stranger saw me, they would see someone who looked good."

"I totally understand. We never had enough money for new clothes when I was a kid, so I get it. I'm just grateful I'm one of the few you trust to see the real you," he told me, then kissed my forehead.

…

With the addition of Steve, Tasha, and Carter, it was a tight squeeze to fit in the van. But it was so much better once we got to the plane. Tony's planes all were big enough for us to each have our own sections, if we wanted to. I didn't really care where I sat, as long as Steve was next to me.

I'd put my head on his shoulder as we took off, and I was almost asleep when I felt him slip his hand into mine, interlacing our fingers. With a sleepy grin on my face, I looked up at him. "Is this okay?" he asked quietly, uncertainly.

"It's great," I replied, wrapping my other arm around his.

"Oh look, it's nerd love!" Tony exclaimed. "They are so cute!"

"You realize that you're more of a nerd than Steve is, right?" I asked. "If we were going with high school stereotypes, Steve would be the jock."

"So what does that make you?" he retorted.

"I would be the hot nerd that all the guys secretly want," I shot back without hesitation.

"Is that a thing?" Bruce asked, sounding rather amused.

"I don't really know. I did online classes from the time I was ten, and NYU isn't exactly like high school," I confessed.

"It's totally a thing," Darcy piped up. "The hot nerd who all the guys want but aren't willing to risk their reputations as bad boys or jocks to date. I really admired those girls," she added with a sigh.

"You can't tell me that you didn't get any action, Miss Lewis," Tony teased. "You're the kind of girl who pretends to be a bookworm just to skate under the teachers' radar."

"You know me so well," she grinned. "I may or may not have had a few dates behind the bleachers, so to speak."

"What about you, Tony? What were you like in high school?" I asked, very curious now.

"Exactly the same as now, minus Pepper," he said proudly. "Of course, I was twelve, but all the cool girls thought I was pretty hot stuff."

"That's because you had unlimited access to alcohol and money," Pepper interjected, without looking up from her report. "Every girl with half a brain in her head would go for that, regardless of your age."

"Is that why you're with me, Pep?" Tony asked, feigning shock. "For my money and alcohol?"

"Of course," she replied, still keeping her eyes on her paperwork. "Because I don't earn more money than you do these days."

"That was your evil plan! You wound me, fair maiden!" Tony dramatically grasped at his heart.

"You'll get over it," she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. And then promptly returning to her report.

Once we got back to the Tower, Tasha headed straight to the med center to see her husband. Jane was there to greet us, and after kissing her boyfriend, she gave mine a relieved hug. "I'm so glad you're okay," she sighed.

"Me, too," Steve joked.

After much debate, we ended up taking Carter to the conference room. Steve and Tony took probably a little too much pleasure in making sure he was not going to be able to leave. Not only did they tie him to a chair, but then they added duct tape, as well. And a monitoring anklet just in case. "I'm the only one who can take that off," Tony announced proudly.

It was rather perfect timing. Carter came to about two minutes after the boys finished their handiwork. "I'm so glad you've finally graced us with your presence," Tony said, grinning a bit maniacally.

To his credit, Carter didn't pale too much. Instead, he merely gulped a teensy bit and fixed that awful smirk on his face. "What did you think was going to happen?" I asked him. "I mean, even if I couldn't have taken you out, which was extremely satisfying, by the way, you know I live with the Avengers. What did you think would happen if you had managed to kidnap me?"

"Well, I was planning on being long gone by the time they found out you were gone," he sneered. "And I had my orders. I couldn't disobey them."

"So you are HYDRA," Steve growled. It was more than a little sexy.

"Of course," Carter said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, Princess, I have to say that your taste in men sucks," Tony retorted, looking at Carter like he was some kind of scum. Which, in reality, he was. "Or it did. I wholeheartedly approve of your current choice."

"Me, too, Tony," I replied. Then I had a horrible realization. "You were only dating me because of HYDRA. The whole time, it was because you were ordered to."

"No, when I walked into that observation room, I was merely observing, just like I was ordered to. And because Ross is such a fanatic. But when I found out you were Agent Phil Coulson's daughter, well, that was too good of an opportunity to pass up. And it didn't hurt that you were pretty nice to look at. I saw an opening, and I took it. I must say, my superiors were very pleased with me when I told them I had Phil Coulson's daughter wrapped around my little finger. And you tossed in the Black Widow and Hawkeye, too. And then you got close with Captain America. It was like my birthday came early. And then you added the rest of the Avengers, too. Now that was like Christmas and my birthday, all wrapped up together in a pretty present. The only thing I regret is that I never got to nail you. I promise I could have made you scream. It would have been the cherry on top, to see you naked underneath me," Carter said, grinning salaciously.

Tony and Thor both made aggressive moves toward him, even Bruce did, but Steve moved so fast that no one saw him coming. Especially not Carter, as Steve's fist slammed into his face. "You do not get to talk to her like that," he again growled, and I nearly melted. Apparently, possessiveness was a turn on. Who knew?

Carter licked his lip, which was now bleeding. But behind his tough guy act, I could see that he was barely clinging to consciousness. My boyfriend was a superhero, after all. But I wanted to get to the bottom of this mess before he blacked out again. "So you dated me, and tried to kidnap me, all because of my family?"

Carter smirked. "All because of your family," he echoed. "Who knew such important people could be influenced by such an insignificant little thing?"

Steve once again moved before anyone else could really react. He grabbed the back of Carter's head and, ripping through all the layers binding the other man to the chair, smashed his head into the table in front of them. Carter didn't move after that.

"Remind me never to insult Emily," Tony said, breaking the somewhat shocked silence.

"I gotta say, that was really hot, Cap," Darcy added a bit breathlessly. "I never pictured you as quite that violent, though."

Steve instantly looked a bit contrite, but still determined, like he regretted his action, but would have done it again, if needs be. "Darcy's right," I said, coming to his side. "That was really sexy." And then I kissed him. Because really, what else is a girl to do when her very attractive boyfriend knocks a guy out for insulting her?

…

A few days passed, and we still didn't know what to do with Carter. Tasha and Clint had gone back to D.C. so she could go to a Senate hearing, where they threatened to imprison her and Steve. But other than that, none of us really left the Tower, not sure what the U.S. government would try to do to us. Thankfully, Tony had an army of lawyers looking into our predicament. And an army of security to keep any unwanted guests out, as well.

"Sir, the Director of SHIELD is on the line," JARVIS intoned about a week after SHIELDgate, as Tony had started calling it. All of us were in the living room, discussing what we should do with Carter. Some of the suggestions had been very entertaining, to say the least. Clint and Tasha had a few ideas that seemed rather exotic. "He would like to speak with all the residents of the Tower," JARVIS added.

"I thought Fury had hung up his hat," Tony muttered, after telling his AI to put the video conference through.

"Actually, it's Director Coulson now," the extremely familiar voice said, just before the visual went through.

**AN: Well, Emily and Steve worked through their problems. Did anyone guess why he was mad? It's such a Steve move, to be insecure like that. Even after he's saved the world countless times, he still doesn't think he's good enough. **

**I totally love big brother Tony. To him, Emily and Darcy are the little sisters he never had growing up. And he would do anything to protect them. Well, he's getting there with Darcy, since she's only lived in the Tower for a few months at this point. But definitely with Emily, he'd kill someone who tried to hurt her.**

**And how is everyone going to react to Coulson being alive? And Emily knowing, for that matter? Hehehe, I'm a little mean leaving it like that, but it's definitely needed. The next part is way too long for this chapter. And I kinda love giving little cliffies. **

**Anyway, there was a little subtle reference to another plot point that a few have already guessed at. Aranel Silvertongue and in particular will hopefully get it. If you don't, don't worry. It was a VERY subtle double meaning.**

**I still want to know whether you guys think I should include Peter Parker, since he really is an Avenger in the comics. Also, who do you think Darcy should end up with? I had one guy in mind for her, but I've read so many stories lately that pair her with someone else, and now I'm very indecisive. Help!**

**And after that very long and rambling author's note, I want to thank you all, once again, for sticking with me and Emily. I love all the reviews I've gotten. And seriously? Nearly 30 favorites for 4 chapters? I love you all!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

After an uncomfortably long silence all around, I felt compelled to break it. "Hi, Dad."

Everyone, who had previously been staring at the screen in shock, swivelled to glare at me. "'Hi, Dad'?" Tony hissed.

"You still have my iPod!" Darcy screeched.

"Son of Coul! But you were dead!" Thor bellowed.

"You knew?" Tasha asked me, deadly soft.

"Um, yeah. He's my dad?" I tried to explain.

"You knew, and you didn't tell us?!" Clint yelled.

"It was classified!" I defended. "I wanted to, but Fury wouldn't let me!"

"That's why you disliked Fury so much these past two years," Steve realized.

"Well, that's fine and dandy, but why didn't you tell us?" Tony demanded from my dad.

"Well, I-" Dad started, but Clint cut him off.

"No, there is no good reason for you to keep this from us! We buried your freaking ashes! Emily is not the only one who thinks of you as a dad, you know!"

At that outburst, I knew I had to stop it. "It was because of me, to keep me safe, Clint."

Once again, everyone looked at me. "What do you mean, doll?" Steve asked softly.

"For a few months before- well, before the Battle of New York, there was always someone following me. I didn't say anything, because I was nearly always with you, and who's going to take on a supersoldier? And when I wasn't with you, I was with Tasha, or Dad, or someone else from SHIELD, so I didn't let it bother me too much. But when Dad died, it stopped. Fury and Dad decided that to keep me safe, Dad had to stay dead, at least to the rest of the world."

"Why were they trying to get you?" Darcy asked. "That was before the Avengers, so why did they want you?"

"What better way to get to Fury? After all, everyone knew that Dad was Fury's right hand man, or 'one good eye' or whatever nonsense he called it, and the best way to get to Dad was through me. It was a brilliant plan, actually," I explained. "They just didn't take into account my friends."

"How long have you known, Emily?" Dad asked, a hint of a proud smile playing around the corner of his lips.

"Just after Tahiti. And that was more confirmation than anything," I answered.

Dad just shook his head. "You are way too smart for your own good," he sighed.

I grinned, then looked to the others. "So, now that you know why he had to keep it a secret, you can't be mad at him. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me, since it was my fault."

"Aw, Princess, you know we can't be mad at you," Tony said. "You're too adorable."

"Even if I have hacked JARVIS?"

"I forgot about that. I may have to revise that statement," he joked.

Steve was looking at me with a very serious expression on his face. When I quirked a curious eyebrow in his direction, he sighed. "You knew you had someone following you for several months, and you didn't say anything?"

"I had you with me practically everywhere I went, so I knew I would be okay," I told him, wrapping my arms around one of his. "And if I didn't have you with me, I was with someone who could help me, if I needed it. Not that I really did, seeing as I took Carter out like it was nothing. Oh crap. The only time I didn't have someone following me was when I was with Carter."

"And you didn't see the whole HYDRA thing coming? Princess, I really worry about your mental state, sometimes," Tony said.

"Carter is HYDRA?" Dad asked, very worried. "And you took him out? Please, explain, Emily."

I quickly told Dad what had happened with my ex, and by the end, he was more than a little pale. "So right now, we've got him locked in the conference room, because we don't really know what to do with him," I finished.

"But he's not going anywhere," Tony said proudly. "Not only do I have JARVIS on the watch twenty-four-seven, but he's also got an ankle monitor that only I can take off."

"But we still don't know what to do with him," Bruce reminded. "We can't just hand him over to the police, and SHIELD was in shambles. Is in shambles."

Dad nodded wearily. "Yes, we are. That's actually why I wanted to talk with you. I know that you probably don't really trust SHIELD right now, but we are rebuilding. Most of our agents have jumped ship, including Hill, who's working with you now, Stark. Thank you for that. But we need all the allies we can get. And I wanted to make sure that I have people I can trust on our side. Can I still count on the Avengers if we need it?"

The superheroes in the room shared a look. It was actually rather impressive, a look shared between six people. But at length, Steve nodded. "Of course, sir. You can always count on us."

"But only because it's you, Coulson. If it was anyone else, I would be out," Tony added.

"That means a lot to me, thank you all. If you need anything, as well, Emily knows how to get a hold of me."

"So that's your secret source!" Tony crowed, pointing at me.

"Yeah, who else would it be?" I smirked. "Honestly, I thought you would have guessed by now, Tasha."

"Well, I would have, if I had known your father was alive," she retorted, not even looking at the screen. I saw Dad flinch minutely. Sadly, I knew that it was going to take more than "SURPRISE! I'm not dead!" for Tasha.

We talked a bit more with Dad, mostly logistics and who was or wasn't HYDRA. Then, Dad asked to talk to me, privately. "I need to speak with my daughter, please."

Once again, the whole crowd looked to me. "It's my dad," I said, like that should explain everything. "Of course I want to talk to him."

Everyone filed out of the room, some more quickly than others. Steve kissed my forehead as he did so.

"It looks like you've got your own new family now," Dad said, trying to smile, once everyone else had left. "You don't really need dear old dad anymore."

"Really, Dad? Just because a family gets bigger doesn't mean you stop needing the ones who've been there longer," I replied, totally exasperated. When his expression didn't change, I sighed and continued. "It's because Tony called me Princess, right? And was all protective? Well, he's like another big brother. Or- or like that crazy uncle who lets you have candy for breakfast. And Bruce is the uncle who can't stop the other one, but makes you brush your teeth after so you don't get cavities. Pepper's the cool aunt who knows all the best places to shop. Clint and Tasha are my siblings, and so are Darcy, Thor, and Jane. And then Steve-" I trailed off, feeling my cheeks start burning.

"And just how long has it been 'And then Steve'?" Dad asked, grinning now.

"About a week. Ever since D.C. You're not mad that I didn't tell you, are you?"

"I kept my relationship with Audrey from you for six months. I don't have any room to talk. And besides, you're dating my childhood idol. I couldn't be happier!"

"Please, please, never phrase it like that ever again," I begged. "That sounds way too creepy."

"Yeah, a little," he confessed. "But I really am happy for you, Em. He's a great guy."

"He really is," I smiled. "But I know you didn't just want to talk about my love life. What did you need to tell me that couldn't be said in front of the others?"

"Not so much that, as I felt like you needed to know first, without the others," Dad hedged slightly. At my impatiently raised eyebrow, he went on. "Grant Ward is HYDRA."

"What?" I gasped, not seeing that one coming at all. "Are you sure?"

"Without a doubt, unfortunately. We have him in our custody, but HYDRA will want him back, since he's such a good operative. And there are only two things Grant Ward cares about: Skye, and you."

I panicked. "Whoa, wait a minute, Dad. I liked Grant, was friendly with him, but I never cared about him. Not like that."

"Sorry, I should have worded that a bit differently," Dad said, a brief smile on his face. Sadly, it disappeared almost as quickly as it formed. "He is in love with Skye, but he cares about you, too. Because you're his biological sister."

My mind was practically an empty field. I could almost hear crickets chirping in my head. I simply couldn't process what he had told me. Finally, "Wait, what?" forced its way out of my mouth.

"It's true, Em," he said gently. "Skye and Simmons did the DNA test from SHIELD archives. You are biologically a Ward."

"But didn't Grant grow up somewhere in, like, Maine, or something?" I was desperately trying to find holes in this theory, though I didn't know why.

"Massachusetts, actually."

"Then how did I get dropped off in New York City?"

"Ward told me that his family was abusive, siblings, parents, everyone. When you were born, with your red hair, you didn't fit, so your parents practically ignored you. Grant didn't want you growing up the way he had, if not worse, so he arranged with a neighbor to take you away, to place you for adoption. Apparently, your real parents didn't look too hard for you, and-"

"Birth parents," I interrupted. "They are my birth parents. You are my real dad. DNA doesn't mean anything."

Dad smiled. "I happen to agree. But anyway, Ward kept an eye on you all throughout the time you were in the system, through that neighbor. He lost you when you ran away, and he didn't find you again until he joined SHIELD. When he saw you visiting me."

"I remember that day. He stared at me like he'd seen a ghost or something," I recalled.

"For him, that's basically what it was. He said the reason he hit on Natasha so much was so he could spend time near you," Dad told me.

"Why didn't he say anything, though?" I wondered.

"Ward said that he just wanted to make sure you were happy. That that's all he cared about."

I was struck by how much he had done for me at such a young age. Then, it really hit me. "Wait, how old was he? When he sent me away?"

"Nine," was Dad's simple answer.

"Holy crap," I muttered. "He did all that for me, when he was nine?"

"He loves you, Em."

"But yet, he's HYDRA. How does that even work?"

"It's not like HYDRA agents don't care. Okay, most don't, but I think Ward really was just following Garrett, his SO. He didn't feel any loyalty to HYDRA, or really SHIELD, either. It was all for Garrett, who'd taken him in and trained him when he was still a kid. He didn't know any other way of life."

"What's going to happen to him?" I asked quietly.

"We have to keep him here, and no, I can't tell you where here is, because HYDRA still wants him. And he would be very dangerous in their hands."

I gasped at a sudden thought. "That's why Carter was trying to kidnap me. He said it was because of my family. He knew! HYDRA wanted me to force Grant. Oh, I'm going to kill him! I gotta go, Dad. Love you!" And then I ran out the room, heading toward the conference room.

Passing Steve, Tony, and Bruce, I headed straight for Carter. "Emily's got her 'I'm gonna kill somebody' face!" Tony sang. "And it's not me!"

"How do you know?" Bruce asked.

"'Cause she's heading past me. And I've been a bit too busy trying to figure out why someone wanted her kidnapped to cause mayhem," Tony replied reasonably.

I heard them, but I was too focused to bother saying anything. Steve simply fell in line beside me, squeezing my hand in support. Wrenching the door to the conference room open, I angrily stomped in. It was a bit satisfying to see the look of dread briefly on Carter's face, before it was replaced with his constant smirk. "Came for a chat?" he asked cockily.

"You knew," was all I had to say.

His smirk just got bigger. "What did I know, Emily? What could I possibly know that Dr. Emily Coulson didn't?"

"You knew about me, about my biological family."

"What did he know?" Steve asked, with an echo in the form of Clint and Tasha. I'd been so focused on Carter that I hadn't even realized that the other two were in the room.

"Yeah, what did I know?" Carter continued taunting.

"You knew that Grant Ward is my biological brother," I growled. "How long did you know?"

"Ya know, Grant Ward is a tough nut to crack, so to speak. But then, we figured him out. Not much gets to him, but what does, really gets to him. He has a serious thing for that scrawny hippy chick, but, unfortunately, she's all safe and secure in the wind. But then, he also cares about his little sister, the one he helped kidnap and put up for adoption. And since we could't get to Skye, we just had to manage with you. Of course, you breaking up with me did throw a kink or two in our plans, but I still got in," he smirked.

"How long have you known?" I ground out. I was seriously beginning to wonder what I ever saw in him in the first place.

"Ward is very close lipped. We didn't figure it all out until about six months ago. Apparently, Ward kept asking Agent Coulson about you, if you were happy, if you were safe, and Garrett overheard a few times. So Garrett did what Garrett did best: he went digging. At first, he thought Ward had a little crush, but then quickly dismissed that, especially after seeing Ward and Skye together. He couldn't figure out the connection, until he saw a picture of you. You have the same eyes as Ward's mom. That was simply too convenient, so Garrett had a lab rat do a DNA test. Congratulations, it's a girl!"

"You knew for six months, and you didn't tell me?"

"Oh, hon, did you actually think I cared about you? Oh, that's so cute!" he cooed mockingly. "No, I merely saw an opportunity, and I seized it. My superiors were very pleased with my initiative. Like I said, I only regret that I didn't get to nail you."

The next few moments were a bit of a blur. There was some slapping, and a punch or two thrown, and a tranq dart shot. With all that combined, Carter slept for the next two days. We kept him alive through an IV, though I absolutely refused to do it myself. Bruce ended up being the one to do it, and he was none too gentle.

**AN: I am so, so, so sorry! The past month has been super busy, but I haven't forgotten about Emily. I may not update quite as regularly as I have in the past, but I will keep going. Thanks for all who've kept going with my story. I love you all! And I especially love the reviews :D**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Tony came rushing in, holding up a small something-or-other in the air, in a mix of triumph and fury. "I found a tracker on the little bugger!"

"That's hardly a surprise, Tony," Tasha said sardonically. "After all, he is a spy."

"You're a spy, and you don't have a tracker on you," Tony shot back.

"When the mission called for it, I have."

It was rather humorous to watch Tony's mouth open and close several times in shock. "Well, anyway, the little prick was broadcasting his location the entire time! HYDRA knows where he is!"

"Tony," I placated, "I'm fairly sure they knew where he was anyway, since he didn't make it to where he was supposed to take me. It's a rather logical place for him to be, after all."

Tony huffed. "Fine, but it doesn't mean I have to like it." Then he stomped over to the elevator, presumably to take the tracker apart for study in his workshop. Or to viciously stomp on it like a two-year-old.

"Barbie Girl" started playing from my phone, scaring poor Achilles off my lap and straight to Tasha's. Grinning, I answered, "Hey, Delia. What's up?"

"I need your help, Emily," she said quickly. "We all do."

My grin melted as I heard the worry in her voice. "Whoa, what's wrong? Are Drake and Ava with you?"

"Yeah, we were on a mission, and we just got back. And we had a waiting party of FBI agents when we landed. They say that SHIELD is a terrorist organization, and that they have orders to arrest us. What's going on?" she cried.

"Okay, Delia, where are you? Tell me where you are, and I'll come get you. I'll get you all out of this mess," I promised, though I wasn't entirely sure how I would.

"FBI headquarters in New York," she sniffed. "They wouldn't let Drake or Ava call, since Drake has an accent and Ava is Alexander Pierce's daughter. They only let me make a call because I look so innocent. Shows what they know," she added, the last part in a low mutter.

My mind whirled in a thousand different directions, but one thought stuck out to me. "Have you been read your Miranda Rights?"

"No, they just told us we were under arrest for terrorism. Like any of us would be terrorists! And then they started questioning all of us separately about who we know and what we've done with SHIELD."

"Okay, don't say another word," I advised. "Just sit tight, and I will be there as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Em!" Delia exclaimed, then gasped. "Oops, not another word. Right."

"See you soon." With half a smile at her adorable antics, and half a frown at my friends' predicament, my mind started working, trying to figure out some way to help them. Then, as everything clicked into place, a full-blown grin took over my face. "Tony! I need your help!" I hollered, running toward the elevator.

…

Forty-five minutes later, Tony and I exited his limo and entered the New York FBI building, while Happy kept the press away. I was wearing my highest heels (a present from Pepper) and best business attire, while Tony had on a suit that cost more than some buildings in New York. He had on his arrogant billionaire persona, and I was trying my hardest to emulate it. I knew that our best chance of getting Delia, Drake, and Ava out were for us to be as absolutely confident as possible. And I was not going to be the one to mess it up.

"We need to speak to whomever is in charge here," I said, as soon as we got to the front desk.

The woman behind the desk barely looked up at me. "You need an appointment to speak with Assistant Director Duncan," she said in a bored tone.

She did a double take when Tony started talking. "I'm sure he'll make an exception for me. Or I can go talk to the press out there, instead. I'm sure they would love to hear about how the FBI is holding three innocent people."

"Just one second," she said, smile pasted on to cover the slight panic in her eyes as she picked up the phone next to her. "Yes, Marge, Tony Stark is here to speak with the Assistant Director. Yes. Mm-hmm. An escort will be here to take you right on up to see him, Mr. Stark," she added to Tony.

"Thank you," he said, tugging his suit jacket down. Somehow, he made even such a simple gesture seem condescending.

A moment later, a middle-aged man walked over to us. "Mr. Stark, if you'll follow me, I will take you to see Assistant Director Duncan."

Tony and I both started to follow, but the agent stopped me. "I'm sorry, Miss, but only Mr. Stark is authorized to come."

I started to object, but Tony beat me to it. "This is Dr. Emily Coulson, the Avengers' private doctor and publicist. I'm not going if she's not going."

Watching the internal debate in the agent's eyes was quite entertaining. Finally, he gave in. "Alright, this way, please."

Unsurprisingly, the Assistant Director's office was on the top floor, and consisted of an entire corner of the building. Behind a mammoth desk of dark walnut sat an equally mammoth-sized man. The room was done in dark, masculine colors, and the rest of the furniture was rather small, and hard-looking, especially the chairs. The whole scene would have been rather intimidating, but I lived with a god and dated a supersoldier. And besides, I had once successfully argued against Nick Fury. A big man trying to throw his weight around was nothing to me anymore. It just made me dislike him instantly.

"Mr. Stark, always nice to see you," Assistant Director Duncan said, a fake smile plastered across his face. It somehow reminded me of a shark as he reached across his desk to shake Tony's hand.

"The feeling is mutual, I'm sure," Tony said, and I had to hide a grin. I could tell he liked Duncan about as much as Duncan liked him.

"And who is this lovely young lady?" he asked, his eyes raking across my body. His smile grew to a leer. I immediately felt dirty.

"Dr. Emily Coulson," I replied, feeling disgusted that manners dictated taking his outstretched hand, too. "I'm the Avengers' doctor and publicist."

"Well, what can I do for such distinguished folks such as yourselves? Oh, and won't you have a seat?" Duncan said, gesturing to two very hard-looking chairs.

"I think we'll stand," Tony said, giving my opinion, as well. "This shouldn't take long at all. You see, we heard a very distressing rumor this morning. One that I'm sure you will be willing to clear up for us."

"I'll do my best, of course. What was this rumor?" Duncan asked, looking very much at ease.

"We heard that you arrested three SHIELD agents this morning, for no more than being just that: SHIELD agents," I informed him.

"SHIELD turned out to be nothing more than a cover for a terrorist organization, and as such, we have been authorized to arrest any member of said organization, Dr. Coulson. Coulson, hm, wasn't there an agent with that name in SHIELD? And I believe a doctor, as well," he said, shark-like smile in place.

Panic welled inside me, but Tony was already ahead of the game. "Dr. Coulson has been on Stark Industries' payroll for more than two years. I can have the paperwork sent over, if you need to check. But that's not why we are here. We have been reliably informed that you are holding three members of SHIELD illegally, and questioning them illegally, as well."

"They are suspected terrorists, we don't actually have to follow the same guidelines as we would normally," Duncan smirked.

"You are fishing for information. You have no evidence, or even a glimmer of suspicion to hold them on," I rebutted.

"Out of the three of them, one is a known hacker, one is the son of a British spy, and the other is the daughter of the former head of HYDRA. I don't need evidence to hold them," he spat, standing up again. Since he was around six feet tall, he towered over both of us, but Tony didn't let it bother him, so I didn't either.

"I'm sure the press would love to hear all about how the FBI is holding people hostage based on their past actions that have been expunged from their records by the federal government, or better yet, their parents' actions. Oh, and the British consulate would be thrilled to hear about you holding one of their citizens without due cause. Well, it's been a fun chat. Emily, we have work to do." With that, Tony turned and walked toward the door, taking my arm as naturally as anything. "There's plenty of press outside. You could call a press conference, too. Make it official and everything. And I'm sure my lawyers will have a field day with this."

"Wait." Duncan's voice stopped us at the door.

"We really need to hurry, Duncan. We might make it in time for the evening edition of the Daily Bugle. After all, Jameson does owe me a favor or two. And my lawyers really need some advance warning," Tony said, turning us both back to face the other man.

Duncan's face had turned a sickly purple color. As a doctor, I knew I should probably be worried about his heart, but as a person, I couldn't seem to make myself care. Finally, he spoke. "Alright, you can take them. But if I find any link, no matter how small, between any of them and HYDRA, I will take all of them back into custody, and I will take you both down for obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting criminals."

"You won't," Tony smirked. "Now, where are the three agents? We have a busy schedule to keep. This superhero gig isn't as easy as it looks, definitely not for everyone."

Duncan made a call, and a few moments were spent in silence. Tony looked bored, though I knew he was anything but. Duncan was silently fuming, and I was incredibly nervous, though I didn't show it, hopefully. And then, finally, my three friends came through the door.

Ava came striding through the door and pulled her arm free of the agent "escorting" her with a disdainful glare. Drake looked like he was about to punch not his escort, but the one holding Delia's arm and practically dragging her along on her tiny, short legs. When her escort stopped, she stumbled a few steps, but not too much, since Drake was there to catch her. "You three are free to go," Duncan ground out, after another short silence. "But if I find any proof that any of you are HYDRA, I will bring you down."

"Always cheery, Duncan. Now, we will be off," Tony announced, gesturing for the four of us to exit. Delia made to hug me, but a subtle shake of the head stopped her. We needed to get out of there as quickly as we could.

Once we made the limo outside, through the crowd of press that followed Tony everywhere, and settled into our seats, the three agents launched into thanks, though Delia's involved squeals and flying hugs. She even threw herself at Tony, and his face was priceless. He was most definitely not used to Delia's over exuberance.

"She's even tinier than you are, Em. How is that even possible?" he asked, allowing her to hug him, while still trying to pull away from her.

"It's called genetics, Tony. You should know; don't you have a degree in that or something?" I teased.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever," he grumbled back. "So, what are you three planning on doing now? I mean, you obviously have no future in SHIELD, even though it is technically still a thing. But it's really dead. So what are you gonna do now?"

Drake was busy pulling Delia back into her seat, so Ava answered. "I'm not really sure. All my life I wanted to be a SHIELD agent, so maybe it would impress my dad. That was really the only reason why I joined. So now I don't know what I'm going to do."

Tony nodded, then turned to Drake and Delia. "So what about you two?"

"Well, I could join either the CIA or MI6, but I'm not sure that's really for me anymore," Drake replied. "I think I want to stay in New York, though. It's been a good place to call home for the past two years."

"I think I can help with that," Tony announced. "Stark Industries always has need of good intelligent people, and we definitely could use an expert hacker," he added, looking at Delia.

She blushed, eyes wide. "I'm not an expert-"

"Dels, you can out-hack me, and I am rather good at it," I told her. "There's no need to be modest, especially when Tony's around. He's got that covered."

By the time we were back to Avengers' Tower, Tony had all but drawn up contracts for my three friends. They were all gushing thanks, once again, and he brushed it off. But, as he sent the others in from the elevator, I caught his arm to stop him. "Thank you, Tony. I can't ever repay you for this."

"Don't worry, Princess, I take care of my own," he replied, then gave me a quick squeeze. Then, he stepped out of the elevator like nothing had happened.

Shaking my head at him, I followed, ready to introduce my friends to those of the Avengers they hadn't yet met.

"I see it went well, doll," Steve said with a smile, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, kissing my temple.

Delia squealed. "Are you guys together?"

I nodded happily, and Steve answered. "Yes, ma'am, though I'm still not sure how I managed to convince her."

"All you had to do was turn those big blues on her," Ava teased. "I knew you would end up together from the first time I saw you. I called it, didn't I, Emily?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I grumbled, feeling my cheeks start to burn.

"Yes, you do," she crowed gleefully. "I called it. You told me to stop flirting with him, and I said you just wanted him for yourself. I called it!"

I merely rolled my eyes at her, but Steve interrupted before I had a chance to rebut. "Sam, come meet Emily's friends. They were in SHIELD with her."

The airman, who'd been invited to join the Avengers, swaggered over. And once he caught sight of Ava, the pause in his gait was almost imperceptible, but the increase in his swagger was not. A quick glance at Ava told me that she was just as interested.

"Sam, these are my friends, Delia Legrange, Drake Solomon, and Ava Richardson. Guys, this is Sam Wilson, the newest member of the Avengers," I introduced.

"Wow, you must be really good then," Ava flirted. "I mean, they don't invite just anybody to join."

"Well, I am pretty handy in a fight," he said, shrugging his shoulders modestly.

Steve snorted. "No, you just saved my life, that's all."

My friends quickly settled in with my family, and it was rather satisfying to see. We eventually managed to get back to normal life, with all of us back to work. So I went back to working in the lab with Tony, Jane, and Bruce, with Darcy plying us with food as needed. I also kept up with the publicity about the Avengers, making sure that the general populace still thought about my family positively. Those working for Stark Industries went to the lower levels of the Tower every morning, then came back every night. And the Avengers went out when needed, saving the world, just like normal. It was life as usual, without any major catastrophes. And it was wonderful.

**AN: And here's a second one in two hours! I thought you all deserved it, with that almost month wait I gave you. Hopefully it was worth the wait. And I really hope that I got Tony's personality in this chapter. It was so fun to write! Love you all, tons and tons!**


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